


Mr. Campbell, Sir!

by Ellidfics



Series: Captain Fraudulent:  The Outtakes [49]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, World Con 1939
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:40:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26399578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellidfics/pseuds/Ellidfics
Summary: There's a "science fiction convention" in New York, and Steve thinks he can pitch some cover art to John W. Campbell, Jr., editor ofAstounding Science Fiction,and of course he drags Bucky along for the ride....
Series: Captain Fraudulent:  The Outtakes [49]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/44015
Comments: 18
Kudos: 46





	Mr. Campbell, Sir!

  
“I can’t believe you talked me into this.” Bucky tried and failed to ignore a dapper fellow in a weird outfit that looked like he’d stolen it from Flash Gordon. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Steve adjusted his tie and tried to look like a serious working professional instead of an over-eager shrimp in a borrowed suit. “That maybe I could scare up some work for _Astounding._ The editor’s here, right over there – “

“Talking with that nimrod in the beanie.” Bucky would have killed for a drink, but this “world science fiction” thing was up on the third floor of the Caravan Hall, well out of range of the local bars. “Trust me, he isn’t going to give you a second look.”

“That’s what you think,” said Steve, and before Bucky could so much as blink he’d shoved his way past a couple of tweedy types and a girl dressed like Dale Arden, sketch pad held in front of him like a shield. “Steve! Wait!”

“Mr. Campbell! Sir!” Steve pulled out a watercolor of a giant man-eating gardenia he’d done after an evening at the Savoy had ended with him nearly choking to death thanks to sitting too close to the stage during Billie Holiday’s set. “My name is Steve Rogers, and I have some ideas for your next cover – “

“Cannibal flowers?” Campbell squinted at the art, then shook his head. “Sorry kid, but you need to talk to the people at _Planet Stories_. We haven’t done cannibal flowers since Tremaine retired.”

“But – “ Steve flipped to a sketch of a bodybuilder in a soldier’s uniform. “How about a super-soldier? He fights Nazis, see, and – “

Bucky groaned as Steve started babbling while the editor’s eyes visibly wandered in the direction of Dale Arden. “Next time I’m picking what we do on my day off,” he muttered, and prepared to save Steve from himself yet again. 

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Yes, the very first World Science Fiction Convention was held in 1939, on the third floor of a place called Caravan Hall, 110 East 59th Street in Manhattan. Attendees included John W. Campbell, Jr., the editor of _Astounding Stories_ , the groundbreaking magazine that launched the careers of Robert Heinlein, L. Sprague DeCamp, Isaac Asimov, Anne McCaffrey, and literally dozens of other writers.
> 
> 2\. It's comics canon that Steve Rogers was a working artist in the late 1930's. It's also comics canon that he was a voracious reader as a child, with a particular taste for fantasy and science fiction. 
> 
> 3\. The couple dressed like Flash Gordon and Dale Arden are superfan Forrest Ackerman (later the editor of _Famous Monsters of Filmdom_ and similar publications) and his then-girlfriend, Myrtle "Morojo" Douglas (an Esperanto speaker and the first known cosplayer).


End file.
